Training VS Learning

Most training centers are just that. They offer training, certification to a certain level, with a certificate or some sort of acknowledgement of completion at the end of the course. The course is structured with listed, usually measurable, learning outcomes and as you progress through the course, you receive a level of competency from a trainer overseeing your progress.

This is how it is normally done and has been for some time in our modern world. Previously in history, before the advent of the training organization, there were things like “learn-on-the-job” and apprenticeships, where you were mentored and taught by someone with years of experience in conducting the actual tasks you were to learn.

This art has died out in recent years, to
the point where, certainly in Australia, it is becoming a crisis in some
industries as the older generations move into retirement…. But there are no
replacements in their field.

Apprenticeships are no longer what the next
generation aims for in a large part due to the allure of a “degree”. Whether it is via an education facility such
as a University, or more flexible arrangements from a private college, the
“degree” has become the latest fashion trend to supplement your career skills. There is merit in that as education and
knowledge become intertwined in our digital age.

And now universities and other training
organizations are starting to look at “on-the-job” experience as a part of
those who would graduate with degrees.

We seem to have come full circle and still don’t seem have the results we need to further the next generations of skills and experience. What is missing? Learning.

The training is delivered according to the guidelines set down by the trainer, the organization, the regulations of the country. All good so far. But how does that translate into real learning for the student?

This is the key missing element of the
training organization. Along the way,
tutors, trainers and teachers seem to have disengaged from the process of
learning, and the next generations, without being shown what learning is,
suffer from the lack. It may be in part
due to motivation, in may be in part to the vast array of knowledge that we can
access in an instant instead of the “old days” where a library required your to
attend and reading was needed for research.
It took time back in the “old days” to find something out for yourself,
to build a body of knowledge. Now
“google” is the new library. And why
learn when you can “ask Siri” and have an answer immediately?

WHERE IS THE INCENTIVE TO LEARN?

The incentive needs to be given to the
student, along with the material to learn these days. Some places are trying “gamification”
concepts to engage with a new generation.
Some offer “experiential” learning – a combination of knowledge and
activities designed to use that knowledge and allow it to embed in the
conscious while the training takes place.
These are less traditional ways of training, but are they less effective
as a result of being new?

There are some studies that prove this to
be an effective channel to take. Perhaps
there needs to be more. Perhaps there
needs to be better explanations of what those studies really prove and how to
embrace these new concepts for training.
Where are the champions of this?
The older generation did not learn that way, so it may be hard for them
to teach that way. It may be seen as
“silly” or a waste of time, when they “should just learn it”. It may just be “new” and therefore a threat
to those who have held their positions for some time and are resistant to
change their ways. It may be the old “us
versus them” as the generations change from subordinate to senior.

Engagement is the key. However it occurs, the student, no matter the
age, wants to know why this piece of information is important to truly know, to
have learnt it, not just to be able to “google it” whenever the question comes
up. How will it assist in performing the
role better? How will it help the
student? How will it contribute to their
work and progression through a career?
Just about anyone can learn like a parrot, by rote, and by having the
knowledge drilled into them, rather like we used to with our times tables. But to truly know something, to have learned,
is entirely different to being able to recite facts.

It is up to the trainers, the training organizations themselves, to encourage learning through new and innovative methods if there is ever going to be the knowledge transfer that companies desire for their futures to be secure.

Becky Paroz is a mentor, women’s empowerment specialist, AND one of the TOP 10 Women to Watch – Ymag 2019! who is here to teach and engage with you in a down to earth and approachable way. You can find more about her mentoring packages here.